Rae Cabot, a 99-year-old resident of Palm Coast, died from critical injuries in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Pine Grove Drive.
Lily Buts, 51, and Danielle Harris, 20, both of Palm Coast, were injured, Harris seriously.
Harris was stopped on Pine Grove Drive, ready to make a left to go south on Belle Terre at the wheel of her Ford Fiesta. Lily Buts, 51, of Palm Coast, was driving a Hyundai north on Belle Terre, with Cabot as her passenger.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol’s preliminary investigation, Harris pulled out in Buts’s way, crashing into the passenger side of the Hyundai and sent the vehicle veering across the southbound lanes of Belle Terre and into the grassy shoulder, where the vehicle came to rest. Harris’s car ended up in the median.
Rae was critically injured. Flagler County FireFlight, the emergency helicopter, landed on Belle Terre and took Rae to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach, with life-threatening injuries. She died at the hospital.
Harris and Buts were treated at Florida Hospital Flagler. Charges are pending against Harris.
The crash had many similarities with the last fatality at the very same intersection four years ago, when a 59-year-old woman was killed there. She too had been a passenger in a car breaking the right-of-way of another. That crash took place at night, involving a car traveling south, turning left to get onto Pine Grove, in the path of the car driving north, triggering the t-bone collision.
The intersection has been the scene of several other non-fatal crashes involving vehicles and cyclists.
The crash Tuesday morning reduced Belle Terre Parkway from four lanes to two in that zone. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, the Palm Coast Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue and the Palm Coast Fire Police responded to the crash.
Richard says
How does a person driving a vehicle stopped at a stop sign NOT see another vehicle traveling with the right of way other than they were distracted with something or perhaps just plain stupid. If the latter then they shouldn’t have a driver’s license since it is a privilege to drive NOT a right.
The Geode says
Time for another “round-a-bout”, I suppose?
jeff says
careless punk
Agkistrodon says
Close the left turn at this side street. Seems the people who live down this road have a problem with waiting. Seems weekly there is an accident there. Perhaps right turn ONLY and then make a u turn on Belle Terre, otherwise they will need a light as this side street is a PROBLEM. I live off Pritchard, another side street with no light, but there are hardly accidents there, less than a mile down belle terre, so there is either a problem with the drivers using it or the intersection is cursed, and I don’t do curses.
Anonymous says
Accidents happen. I am sure the personal that charges are pending against feels bad and didn’t mean to intentionally do this. May those injured, make a speedy recovery and may the deceased RIP.
granny of 4 says
There needs to be a stoplight on this dangerous corner!! Wake up Palm Coast and do something about it!!!!!
Anonymous says
A light or right turn only would end most of these accidents BUT lets not leave out the FACT that on this 45MPH road people constantly drive it at 55MPH+. Speed could be a factor also we need more FCSO speed patrols on our streets.
Just The Truth says
Put a stop sign, if there has been several accidents at the same place. Oh, how silly of me that will cost money and PC doesn’t spend taxpayers money on things that will save lives.
Anonymous says
Many prayers going out to all involved I can’t imagine with the driver feels knowing he took an innocent life and may she rest in peace
Born and Raised Here says
One word comes to mind “TEXTING”
John Dolan esq. says
Here we go again. People, you must “WAIT UNTIL THE COAST IS CLEAR BEFORE YOU PULL ONTO A BLVD. THEY HAVE THE “RIGHT OF WAY”. Driving like this is no different than pointing a gun at someone.
Anonymous says
@Anonymous
Unchecked speeding begets more bad driving and risk taking. We have a big problem with speeding all over Palm Coast. More people need to be getting speeding tickets to remind them how to drive properly by hitting them in the wallet.
HonkeyDude says
Sounds more dangerous than old dixie. Put your blessed savior round about there instead!
woodchuck says
Time for another traffic light that’s how we fix bad driving.
Louis Plank says
A person does not have to called ,punk to cause an accident. Accidents happen all the time.. I am sure the person feels terrible and she will remember that moment for the rest of her life. In fact she will face a court date sometime in her future.
Nancy N. says
@Richard possibly the car on Belle Terre was in the left lane and hidden in the blind spot behind someone turning right in the right lane so the person pulling out to turn thought they were clear? I witnessed an accident exactly like that (I was the car that was turning, creating the blind spot) further up Belle Terre at my own street a few years ago.
A lot of idiot drivers don’t realize when pulling out to turn left on a boulevard like that that there is a big blind spot behind a car turning right. They think they are clear to pull out when they often aren’t. I get honked at quite often because I won’t pull out of my street to turn left onto Belle Terre when someone is turning right since I can’t see what is in the blind spot behind the turning vehicle. I’ve seen the crunched metal when a vehicle was hiding in that spot. (no one was injured, thank goodness)
Concerned Citizen says
I’m sorry another life has been lost. It makes no sense sometimes. I still feel the need to say this.
LOL at all of these suggestions.
Correcting bad driving habits starts with us behind the wheel. You don’t need your phone in your face. You don’t need to fool with the radio or whatever else you have in the vehicle.
Red lights, Stop signs, and new laws are useless if you insist on putting others in jeopardy. Let’s all just take a minute and relearn how to drive a car to and from where we need to go!!
I’m all for more traffic enforcement to clampdown on the ass-hat’s that insist on putting others in danger because they are impatient.
jmb says
my hearfelt condolences for the cabot family i just happen to drive by going south on belle terre maybe 5 min after it happened and before any rescue or police and saw ms or mrs cabot in her seat i didnt stop due to many people on scene already and looked to be just another avoidable accident the other driver must of slammed on her gas to get in front of the northbound car and didnt make it due to the cabot vehicle being pointed west on the shoulder across the street and the other car in the median no way was the black car going 15 or 20 mph to get to median she probably just did the good ole california stop and punched it thinking she would make it now a lady is dead and a 20 yr old driver most likely at fault a no win situation due to no patience since being in a rush in palm coast seems to be the norm what a shame
That's The Facts Jack says
The issue is the increase in population, heavy traffic, speeding and having to crossover a divided highway. Anyone who lives in the P section can tell you how dangerous it is to attempt to crossover with just a stop sign, no traffic lights, heavy oncoming traffic and speeders. Time for some traffic lights or sadly we will continue to reading about another life lost or injuried.
Defensive driver says
This is a problem all over Palm Coast and Flagler County. People don’t want to wait the two seconds it would take another car to pass. It’s bad at the Publix intersection, and it’s really bad on US1, both at the Exxon station and at Old Kings Rd. Although at Old Kings Rd. the problem is usually people coming up that entrance lane. They pull out doing about 20, not at all worried about the line of cars doing 65 that’s behind them. The Exxon station is horrible. Even the employees who close at night pull out without worrying about traffic. There is no consideration for others, or for their own life.
reallybuddy says
@just the truth, If you had read the article, or even driven by this actual road, then you would know that there IS a stop sign there already.
Anonymous says
Needs a stop light also people never do the speed limit on belle terr the other one could have been speeding
Cheryl says
I live off Pine Grove and hate making that left. I sometimes go right and do the u turn on whiteview. When I come home from work, people cut me off when I am trying to make the left from Belle Terre onto Pine Grove. I have had many a near miss and I have the right of way. It would be inconvenient but I agree that Palm Coast should close the intersection and make it right only. How many innocent people have to die. Does it take someone that is related to someone on the board to get seriously hurt, because I don’t understand why putting new trees in seems to be more important. Open your eyes Palm Coast. My heart goes out to the families of the people that have been hurt or died. Palm Coast can save many lives but fixing that area but then again it is Palm Coast where a lot of important things are irrelevant until it’s too late.
Richard says
@Nancy N. Thank you for pointing out that perhaps there was a blind spot hiding Butt’s vehicle. If that was indeed the cause of this accident then that clearly points to her “stupidity” and is not an excuse for her actions. Once Harris is held accountable for her actions perhaps she should take a defensive driving course.